Just who am I supporting, anyway?
Nicholas Newlin is an Archivist at the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C., and was first captivated by Latin America on his first trip to Guadalajara, Mexico, in 1998. A native of Colorado, he spent his childhood climbing 14ers and had a grand time at CU Boulder, later earning a degree in Library Science from the University of Maryland. He undertook his first library duties at DC Public Library, where he worked to describe an archive of Washington Star photographs. At the Library he has worked on the personal papers of Russell Train, Robert McNamara, the Democratic Study Group, and some other lesser-known luminaries of American history.
Nic has always been surprised by the contrast between the resources offered libraries in North America compared to those in Latin America. Libraries are a luxury that we enjoy, an institution that provides us with higher rates of literacy, free media and books, and a community gathering place for growing families. We pay taxes for the service, and believe in the public good that comes from library services. More importantly, we are a nation of readers and critical thinkers -- in so many years we hope Latin American nations will be too.
On a six-month trip to Paraguay in 2008, Nic worked with Library of the National Congress of Paraguay, Stael Ruffinelli de Ortiz English Insitute, the Centro de Estudios de Derecho, Economía y Política (CEDEP) and made presentations at several various conferences. In the last month of his stay he organized the Seminario de Bibliotecas to promote awareness and capacity building for Paraguayan librarians.
Sala Principal of the Biblioteca Nacional
